Just-retired Negri police chief recalls career challenges

SEREMBAN: Just-retired state police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Jaafar Mohd Yusof vividly remembers the day death stared him in the face 30 years ago at the Kuantan prison.

Then a young officer with the Special Actions Unit, he was about to enter a room with then Prisons director-general Datuk Ibrahim Mohamed and another officer to negotiate with three Indonesian inmates who were holding a magistrate hostage.

Magistrate Mariana Yahaya was there to hear cases when she was seized by the prisoners, who were being held on a murder charge.

“One of them suddenly pulled Ibrahim into the room.

“Without giving it a second thought, I lunged at the inmate to free Ibrahim and then another inmate appeared out of nowhere pointing a gun at me,” DCP Jaafar recalled.

He was speaking to reporters after handing over his duties to DCP Datuk Noor Azam Jamaludin after serving in the force for more than four decades.

Recalling the incident, DCP Jaafar said police intelligence had no inkling that the three inmates had taken the gun from the prison superintendent’s office.

“With my weapon tucked in my back, I thought I had little chance of overturning the situation.

“But with years of training in the Special Actions Unit, I managed to retrieve my gun and neutralise the inmate,” said DCP Jaafar, who joined the force in 1975.

Two of the inmates were killed, while another was wounded in the 24-hour hostage drama.

Tapah-born DCP Jaafar also listed the Memali incident in Kedah in 1985, where followers of religious teacher Ibrahim Libya clashed with the police, as another challenge he faced.

The Sulu intrusion in Lahad Datu in 2013 was yet another unforgettable episode in his years as a cop. He served as the deputy director of the special team at the time.

Meanwhile, Kedah-born DCP Noor Azam, who joined the force in 1987, promised to continue his predecessor’s good work.

“Like any state police chief, I will continue with efforts to combat crime and hope to put my experience, including as Shah Alam OCPD, to good use,” he said.

The handing over of duties was witnessed by Bukit Aman’s Strategic Source and Technology Department director Comm Datuk Abd Manan Mhd Hassan.

End of an era: DCP Jaafar (left) bidding farewell to his officers after handing over his duties at the state police contingent headquarters in Seremban.